Chicken a la Pooch

Pooch was my Father's Father's second wife, she invented this classic piece of 70's cuisine, or probably didn't but we like to think she did. It is massively simple and amazingly delicious.

You will need a chicken thigh per person, or a breast half sliced across the breast (i.e. four or five bits) per person, you can put in more if you are hungry. Lay them in a well buttered dish and sprinkle salt and paprika over the meat.

To make the sauce chop and fry a large onion in olive oil (or for authenticity veg oil), when this is softening chop a couple of juicy eating apples and dice into bits approx 2 cm cubed. Add them to the onions. Allow to cook and soften.

The add a teaspoon full of curry powder, the strength is up to you. Allow it to mix, permeate and fill the kitchen with delicious curry odours. Then add a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom sauce (of course use your own, but to relive the 70s trust me here), and a dollop of single cream. Cook until hot through then pour over the chicken.

Put it in the oven at 180 to 190 C for one hour depending on volume of chicken. When it comes out it should be bubbling away merrily and brown.

Eat with plain buttery rice and make sure you have some fresh bread on hand to mop up the juice.

I like it with a green salad and a chilled bottle of Loire Sauvignon Blanc.

Hurrah for Pooch